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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures stories: 17 news summaries

 Hollywood Trims Star Deals 

It's curtains for deals that pay actors before studios recoup losses

Apr 2, 09 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - In this economic climate, even Hollywood has become risk-averse, forcing actors to share in a film’s success or failure, the Wall Street Journal reports. “First-dollar gross” deals, which pay actors handsomely even when films flop, are out of favor. For years, top actors drew deals paying a percentage—... More »

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Hollywood • film • contracts • Julia Roberts • Steve Carell • Paramount Pictures • Harrison Ford • financial crisis • movie studios

(Newser) - The Oscars are coming up, but that orgy of self-congratulation doesn’t celebrate what really matters in Hollywood: money. Forbes crunched the numbers for 2008 and selected the winners of a different award: the Rainmaker.
  • Best Actor: Robert Downey Jr. returned $52.60 to Paramount for every dollar
... More »

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Academy Awards • film • awards • award show • Paramount Pictures • box office • Robert Downey Jr. • Meryl Streep • Juno • Jason Reitman • movies • blockbusters • Iron Man • Mamma Mia! • return on investment

Spielberg, Paramount Split DreamWorks Projects

Divorce accomplished without years of litigation, projects divvied up

Oct 6, 08 2:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - It may be one of the most amicable Hollywood divorces in history. Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks announced a division of 200 movie projects in development as golden-touch producer Steven Spielberg leaves to launch a new company, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The unexpectedly easy split comes in defiance of Hollywood... More »

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David Geffen • Viacom • Steven Spielberg • Tintin • Transformers • Paramount Pictures • DreamWorks • Lincoln • The 39 Clues

 Suit: Spielberg 
 Copied Hitchcock 

Copyright owner says Disturbia rips off Rear Window

Sep 9, 08 10:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Steven Spielberg ripped off Rear Window when he made last year’s thriller Disturbia, a lawsuit filed yesterday alleges. The 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic was based on a 1942 short story, and the owner of the rights to the story has sued for compensation from Spielberg, DreamWorks, and Paramount Pictures,... More »

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Shia LaBeouf • Steven Spielberg • Paramount Pictures • DreamWorks • copyright infringement • Alfred Hitchcock

 Jones Sues
 for $10M in
 No Country Pay

Paramount hasn't coughed up promised bonuses, he argues

Sep 7, 08 7:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Actor Tommy Lee Jones has sued the producers of Oscar Award-winning No Country for Old Men for $10 million he claims is owed him. The suit charges Paramount Pictures failed to pay Jones a promised chunk of "significant box-office bonuses" and other compensation linked to the success of the... More »

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film • Paramount Pictures • Tommy Lee Jones • Paramount • No Country for Old Men • Coen Brothers • movies

 Paramount Loses
 $450M Funding Deal 

The failure is part of a larger trend as liquidity dries up

Jul 15, 08 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - A $450-million deal with Deutsche Bank that would have financed up to 30 films for Paramount is off the table, the Financial Times  reports. Perhaps an unlikely casualty of the credit crunch, Paramount walked after a lack of enthusiasm in the market led to terms that were unattractive, persons familiar... More »

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Deutsche Bank • Transformers • Paramount Pictures • liquidity • Star Trek • movie financing • weakening economy • movie industry • investment banks

Weinsteins Sign 7-Year Deal
With Showtime

Films will replace slate lost when Paramount bailed in April

Jul 15, 08 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Showtime and the Weinstein Company have inked an exclusive 7-year movie deal, giving the pay TV network a replacement for the slate of films it lost when Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate decamped in April and teamed up to launch a rival network, Variety reports. Showtime had balked at what it... More »

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Hollywood • cable TV • Showtime • Paramount Pictures • Harvey Weinstein • Lionsgate • MGM • The Weinstein Company • Variety magazine

 Murphy In for
 Beverly Hills Cop 4 

Paramount wants director Ratner to revive franchise after Indy-like 14 years

May 29, 08 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fans of the old Eddie Murphy (you know, before the fat suits and prostheses), rejoice: A third sequel to 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop will start production next year, Variety reports. Murphy approached Paramount about the project, and the studio eagerly agreed after successfully disinterring Indiana Jones. Murphy is attached,... More »

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Indiana Jones • Paramount Pictures • Eddie Murphy • movies • Beverly Hills Cop • Brett Ratner • sequel



 Iron Man  
 Blasts Off 
 at Box Office 

Action flick is 10th highest opener ever

May 4, 08 4:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Paramount and Marvel struck gold with Iron Man this weekend, raking in $201 million worldwide in the tenth-best opening ever, Variety reports. The male-skewing film left room for Made of Honor to draw in women and $15.5 million in second spot.  More »

MORE ABOUT:
Marvel Comics • Paramount Pictures • box office • Robert Downey Jr. • Paramount • Iron Man

Movie Studios to Create Premium Channel

MGM, Paramount, Lionsgate joint venture would target HBO

Apr 21, 08 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Paramount Pictures, MGM Studios, and Lionsgate are creating a premium TV channel to compete with HBO and Showtime, reports the Los Angeles Times, which currently showcase their programming. The joint venture comes as those same channels look to pay studios less for movies and pursue production of their own content. More »

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television • Viacom • HBO • Showtime • Paramount Pictures • United Artists • MGM

Board Games Set for Turn
on Big Screen

Monopoly, Candy Land to follow in steps of Transformers, Toy Story

Feb 21, 08 10:07 AM CST
(Newser) - Paramount has the rights to any Transformers sequels, but a new deal with toymaker Hasbro guarantees Universal Pictures sole access to nearly all the company's iconic brands, including board games. The studio is said to be developing a Monopoly film, and a new live-action version of the game Clue may... More »

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Hasbro • Paramount Pictures • Universal Pictures • Monopoly • Candy Land • Clue • Ouija Board • Magic: The Gathering • Mr. Potato Head • movies

Studios Win Suit Against TorrentSpy

Site allows users abroad to find, download films

Dec 19, 07 11:41 AM CST
(Newser) - A federal judge has put an early end to a copyright infringement trial, finding online file-sharing service TorrentSpy.com liable for movie piracy. In a victory for Paramount Pictures and other film studios, the Los Angeles court ruled that the operators of TorrentSpy destroyed evidence and made false statements under... More »

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copyright law • Los Angeles • Amsterdam • Paramount Pictures • TorrentSpy • torrents

Vudu to Match DVD HD Releases

Service will offer HD downloads same day DVDs hit stores

Dec 10, 07 10:37 PM CST
(Newser) - The Bourne Ultimatum, the Matt Damon action movie, will be available online Tuesday - the same day as the DVD reaches video stores. AP reports it's the first of many high-definition movies to be released by Vudu, the on-demand video service. Vudu, which sells its set-top box for $399, will... More »

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Paramount Pictures • Universal Pictures • The Bourne Ultimatum • Vudu • The Bourne Identity • The Bourne Supremacy • Lionsgate • movies

Issue of Stars' Safety Delays Kite Runner

Producers fear film may inflame Afghanistan's ethnic tensions

Oct 4, 07 1:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Paramount Vantage is pushing back the release of "The Kite Runner" to allow its child stars to leave Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. The studio, worried that a “Danish-cartoons situation” could erupt over an ethnically charged rape scene, has moved the film's release date to Dec. 14.... More »

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Afghanistan • rape • Paramount Pictures • Kite Runner • movies

Speilberg & Paramount Head for Divorce

Unhappy DreamWorks director will likely seek new backer

Sep 21, 07 3:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - A split between the DreamWorks braintrust and Paramount appears inevitable amid reports that director Steven Spielberg and partner David Geffen will seek new backers as soon as they're free to do so. The duo have been upset almost from the moment they sold Dreamworks to Paramount two years ago, complaining... More »

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David Geffen • Hollywood • Viacom • Steven Spielberg • film • Paramount Pictures • DreamWorks • Stacey Snider • movies

Paramount Drops Blu-Ray for HD DVD

High-definition format war takes a new turn
as player prices fall

Aug 21, 07 9:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - The face-off between two standards for high-definition DVDs took a new turn yesterday as Paramount Pictures and its subsidiary DreamWorks dropped support of Sony's Blu-ray format. Starting this week, the studios will distribute new discs exclusively in the HD DVD format, which is supported by Toshiba and functions on less... More »

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film • DVD • Sony • HD DVD • Paramount Pictures • DreamWorks • Toshiba • Blu ray • movies

Spielberg May Split From Paramount

Angry director could pack up DreamWorks
and leave studio

Jul 20, 07 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Steven Spielberg is so disillusioned with Paramount Pictures that he may bail on the studio, which less than 2 years ago bought the director's DreamWorks for $1.53 billion. The legend behind Jaws, E.T.,  and Transformers is furious that Paramount takes credit for his movies and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
David Geffen • Viacom • Steven Spielberg • film • Jeffrey Katzenberg • Brad Grey • Paramount Pictures • Tom Hanks • Jaws • E.T. • DreamWorks • celluloid • movies • Oscars

17 Stories


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